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Creating a Trade Market for Wallace in the Off Season

The Steelers could create a trading market for Mike Wallace after designating him as the team's franchise player this offseason. There's one team in particular that makes a lot of sense.

With the franchise tag number teetering around $10 million for the wide receiver position in 2013, and a precarious cap situation for the Steelers, and their two free agent wide receivers (Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Wallace), it seems unlikely either receiver will be tagged.
But a player doesn't have to play the season under the tag, and I don't just mean to suggest either of them holding out.
The Patriots traded Miami a second and a seventh round pick before the 2007 NFL Draft for the rights to restricted free agent wide receiver Wes Welker.

New England added a seventh round pick to Miami's haul for agreeing to avoid the red tape of signing Welker to an offer sheet, then waiting seven days for Miami to not match the deal. The franchise tag could work the exact same way. If the Steelers applied it to, say, Wallace, and a team in the market for a receiver didn't feel signing him to, for example, a contract similar to Vincent Jackson's five-year, $55 million deal ($26 million guaranteed) along with giving up a first round and a third round pick in 2013, the Steelers could simply trade him to that team for, say, a second round pick in 2013 and 2014.

If they chose not to tag him, and let him leave via free agency, his departure would most likely return a third round compensatory pick in 2014, provided Wallace hit certain statistical criteria (that are mostly hidden by the league). They traded Santonio Holmes in 2010 even though letting him walk in 2011 could have brought as high as a third round pick. To them, a fifth round pick from the Jets that year (and the removal of Holmes from the team) was more valuable than a third round pick a season later. All they would need is a trading partner.

Looking around the league, what team is projected to have boatloads of salary cap space, a need of a playmaking wide receiver, perhaps to compliment a young quarterback and an offensive mindset of getting the ball down the field? Why, the Indianapolis Colts, and Wallace's former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, of course. One minor snag would be the fact the Colts already traded their 2013 second round pick to Miami for Vontae Davis, but it seems likely they could work something out.

Giving up a pick or two would help the Colts control Wallace's salary demands, instead of trying to get him on the open market, where Wallace could experience a similar phenomena as Pierre Garcon, who saw his market value nearly double simply because of competition for his services.
The Colts could afford it, it doesn't appear the Steelers will really have the cap room for Wallace anyway, and having Wallace return to the offensive coordinator who gave him a career average of over 18 yards a catch (Wallace is averaging 12.8 yards a catch this season) could end up being a good situation for everyone involved.

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May 2008

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That is a scenario that could make sense in the offseason, but the Colts lack of a second round pick will complicate the deal. The Colts will be unlikely to give up their first round pick, which is likely to be in the mid first, so the Steelers would probably be looking at a situation where they would get a 3 this year and, perhaps, a 2 next year.

I would think that Wallace would garner plenty of interest on the trade market and that the Colts would not be the only option.

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Originally Posted by phillyesq

That is a scenario that could make sense in the offseason, but the Colts lack of a second round pick will complicate the deal. The Colts will be unlikely to give up their first round pick, which is likely to be in the mid first, so the Steelers would probably be looking at a situation where they would get a 3 this year and, perhaps, a 2 next year.

I would think that Wallace would garner plenty of interest on the trade market and that the Colts would not be the only option.

I agree that the Colts would not be the only option. Carolina needs someone for Cam to throw to. The 'Skins need someone for RGIII to throw to. Miami needs someone for Tannehill to throw to. Etc. Etc.

I don't think we would have any problems finding a trade partner if Wallace chooses not to resign here.

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Put me down as wanting to keep Wally. After playing for $2.7M, getting tagged might break him. How long is he willing to wait for a big payday? I'd keep tagging him too.

If we tag him for 3 years, we got him for $8M/season for 4 years which is below what everyone was willing to pay.

I don't blame Mike for trying to get what he wants. But he's gonna eventually realize it's in his best interest to do a deal with the Steelers. And the sooner he does the deal, the more likely he can get multiple big deals over his career. It may be in his overall interest to get a first big deal done asap.

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Put me down as wanting to keep Wally. After playing for $2.7M, getting tagged might break him. How long is he willing to wait for a big payday? I'd keep tagging him too.

If we tag him for 3 years, we got him for $8M/season for 4 years which is below what everyone was willing to pay.

I don't blame Mike for trying to get what he wants. But he's gonna eventually realize it's in his best interest to do a deal with the Steelers. And the sooner he does the deal, the more likely he can get multiple big deals over his career. It may be in his overall interest to get a first big deal done asap.

I couldn't have said it better myself. He could be playing for $8.5-9M right now if he had just accepted the offer he is reported to have received. Dude shot himself in the foot. I'm sure every time Haley sends him on a route across the middle he is telling himself what a dummy he was. Gotta say I'm loving the object lesson to other players.

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I think the Rams would be in the market for a receiver like Wallace and they have draft picks to burn after that trade with the Deadskins for RGIII. That's the team that would make the most sense to me and one that might give up the most.

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Originally Posted by ikestops85

I think the Rams would be in the market for a receiver like Wallace and they have draft picks to burn after that trade with the Deadskins for RGIII. That's the team that would make the most sense to me and one that might give up the most.

Excellent point. I forgot about the picks they got in the trade. St Louis would be a great place to send Wallace.